• Karren Brady confident of ‘lock-out’ deal this month
• ‘It’s a no-brainer and absolutely right for club and community’
The West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady expects the club to be given the first option of taking over the Olympic Stadium after the London Olympics.
The Hammers confirmed this year they want to leave their existing Upton Park home for the Olympic Stadium, while the London mayor Boris Johnson is also keen on a football club taking over the running costs of the venue.
The Premier League club believe switching home grounds will cost them £125million and have asked the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), who are responsible for the future of the London 2012 venues, for a six-month “lock-out” to hold exclusive talks on the deal.
“We’ll hear by the end of the month whether we’ve got it [the lock-out deal],” Brady told insidethegames.biz. “I would never say I’m 100% but I expect to get it. It’s a no-brainer and it’s absolutely right for the club and community.”
West Ham’s main rivals are the American entertainment giant AEG, who own the O2 Arena.
A spokeswoman for the OPLC said: “The market testing has captured genuine interest from a range of organisations in the sports, events, investment and education sectors. We are building on this momentum and working closely with interested parties to move towards a formal procurement process.”
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